There are other stand-alone, no-computer-required DAWs on themarket, but according to Tascam's international product developmentmanager, Mike McRoberts, the SX-1 is “an entirely differentanimal. It's the first affordable, all-in-one solution designed forthe demands of pro-quality music and post-production.”

The SX-1 offers recording, editing, sequencing, mixing andsignal processing without cutting corners. Its 8-bus, 40-inputmixer has 16 quality mic preamps with phantom power, long-throw100mm touch-sensitive faders, dynamic automation with full recallof all console functions, 3-band automated EQ (with each bandswitchable for true parametric, shelving or high/lowpass filtering)and eight sends — two are dedicated for prefader cuefunctions, the other six for signal processing. Four effects sendsroute to the onboard DSP (the SX-1 ships with plug-ins from Tascam,TC Electronic and Antares), and two route to outside devices, butall can be sent externally, if desired. The SX-1 offerscomprehensive routing (just about anything can be sent anywhere)with storage of custom user setups, but also includes a number ofstandard routing presets for typical studio applications to get theuser up and working quickly.

The internal 24-bit/48kHz recorder is based on Tascam'ssuccessful MX-2424 engine and stores 16 tracks to the internal IDEdrive. The SX-1 includes eight additional tracks for mixdown tostereo and/or surround formats, and the unit can also author MP3files. Two USB jacks, a rear panel SCSI port and front panel SCSIdrive bay provide expansion possibilities, while a front panelCD-RW drive is included for printing surround or stereo mixes, databackup/archiving, and importing sounds from audio or data CDs. Theonboard ADCs and DACs are all 96 kHz.

Connections to the outside world are numerous. The SX-1 cancascade to Tascam's DM-24 digital console for more input channelsand interfaces; sync support includes LTC SMPTE timecode chase,video sync and Sony P2 serial control; and a 100MB Ethernet jackallows fast transfers to networks and other workstations.